Statutory debt limit

Definition

The cap that Congress imposes on the amount of public debt that may be outstanding whether temporary or permanent. When this limit is reached, the Treasury may not sell new debt issues until Congress raises the limit. For a detailed listing of changes in the limit since 1941, see Budget of the United States Government. See: Debt outstanding subject to limitation.

Investing Essentials

Copyright © 2011 Campbell R. Harvey, Professor of Finance, Fuqua School of Business at Duke University


Term of the Day

Discretionary trust
In the context of mutual funds, refers to a mutual fund or unit trust whose management decides on the best way to use the assets without restriction to a specific type of security. In the context of... Read More

Subscribe to the Term of the Day via email Get the Term of the Day in your inbox!

Create your free portfolio